The truth about a complex built for veterans and the middle class and how it has evolved through the years to become one of the more interesting and controversial of New York stories.

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Saturday, June 23, 2012

A Backyard Where There is Always Something Going On!

Call it a slogan, motto, catch-phrase or whatever, and perhaps it's been used for a while now, but I became alerted to it the other day when I went to the official Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper website to see if there was any heat advisory info online for residents. There wasn't. But the website did tell me about "Manhattan Living with an 80-Acre Backyard'" and that: "There is always something going on at Stuyvesant Town!" The latter is not a surprise, as since Tishman Speyer days the goal has been to present this complex as active and fun, with a "no stopping us now" attitude.

Unfortunately, this goal and the thinking behind it is low-class when it comes to aesthetics (no real upscale residential community would tolerate the "events" and the inane amenity classes that go on around here) and stubbornly overestimates just what most residents want, which is something far more simple: a place in the city that feels like it's away from the city. Instead, the powers that be are trying to bring the city into a residential community that was not built for such accommodations, causing disruptions to tenants (not all, admittedly; some would even want a Walmart here), excessive wear on the Oval grounds and a huge clean-up thereafter, with an increase in the rodent population who savor the food delights left over during the day. In other words, in trying to appeal to an upscale demographic, the powers that be are cheapening this place with predictable plans that rely on whatever meme is current in the real estate market.

It's also telling that the powers that be consider the grass, trees and foliage here a "backyard." A backyard is where you hold a barbeque and dump your junk and have your dog urinate and defecate. So that's how upscale the thinking is here. Bravo. What an impression!

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While surfing I caught a flash ad for Stuyvesant Town. The features of this ad:

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And this morning I received a STPCV email blast with the subject heading, "It's Getting Hot in Here!" I thought this was a delayed alert about the hot weather we've been having the last couple of days, but no, it was a message about today's concert! Enjoy the noise!

The grounds are pretty nice. I take jogs around the whole complex along the main walking paths and one complete loop is almost precisely one mile long which is cool. I love that these runs are mostly free of car traffic. Haven't tired of the route yet. The trees and foliage really are enjoyable. I hate people but even I can appreciate the benches all over the place for them to have a nice sit-down. It makes for a quiet calming atmosphere. But yes calling all this your backyard is going way way overboard. Backyard is a place where you do whatever the hell you please. I would call this more like living in a park.

So it's not about the apartments anymore, their new propaganda is all about the huge "backyard" they'll have? Got news for ya, there are a LOT of people out there. Good luck finding a spot. It's like Brighton Beach out there.

Woman walking a pit bull today right passed 3 public safety officers during the concert. None of the guards so much as batted an eyelash. Also saw what may have been a Bernese Mountain Dog being walked, no lie. It must have been 100 pounds. Right around the oval. At any rate, for those wishing to purchase a dog, there is obviously no need to feel constrained in any way by the listed banned breeds.

Went to Ace Hardware on First Avenue this afternoon with a list household/kitchen/cleaning necessities. They had nothing I needed. Went across First Avenue to the Town and Village Hardware Store. Got everything I needed and treat service to boot.

BTW, what happened to the Verizon store? I see they are brining in T-Mobile. Did Verizon get evicted? Must have been RS. ;-)

The whole frickin' place is a beer garden! Have you ever wondered why the homeless scour this place for the thrown away bottles and cans? Have you never gone out early in the morning and seen the "harvest" of bottles and cans liberally thrown around the grounds? The beer garden is open all night every night and has branches all over the playgrounds, Oval, etc. I wish the homeless could cash in the cigarette butts strewn all over the place because if they could, they would be able to buy condos in Trump Tower.

Can't they just cut the lies and bullshit about this place and spend their time, money and energy on cleaning up the filthy fucking recycling areas, cleaning the filthy carpets and getting rid of the disgusting, cholera/typhoid/listeria/e-coli bearing poor apologies for washing machines? Sheesh! Is Rose Associates so bad, so incompetent and so desperate that they can't see the wood for the trees? What a bunch of losers are running this overpriced, over-populated, stinking dorm! Rose Associates has to be the very, very bottom of the barrel scrapings when it comes to "management" and selective deafness and blindness to reality. I would have thought they could do a lot better, but obviously not.

i must say june 26 10:49 is quite right. The maintenance is indeed deplorable and it's difficult to understand. There are issues that wouldn't be that expensive to rectify but they simply don't, yet they pour money into saturday concerts. All I can say is Rose Associates is the manager, let's remember that when we have some autonomy in the running of this place.

I agree with anon 10:49. Enough with the damn plants and do something, ANYTHING, about the laundry rooms and recycling areas! It's like the Amityville Horror down there. The flies all but do the wash for me!

"Can't they just cut the lies and bullshit about this place and spend their time, money and energy on cleaning up the filthy fucking recycling areas, cleaning the filthy carpets and getting rid of the disgusting, cholera/typhoid/listeria/e-coli bearing poor apologies for washing machines?"

Lux living regarding the washers, of course the dryers work better, it's hot out! There are other options, 1st Ave & 14th streets are littered with laundromats. I know leaving your buildings are a hassle. But only a economic impact will affect the laundry room situation.

People complained that the dryers weren't hot enough, so what did Rose do? They increased the drying time (more than many of us need) and upped the price. They could have made it so we could buy additional time in 15-minute increments (or some other amount), but no-o-o-o. They basically gave us the finger and charged us for the privilege.

Still waiting for some beautification here in PCV. Long-dead yew bushes bordering a lawn were finally removed but are yet to be replaced. A large patch of rose bushes has been uprooted. The landscaping design, if it can be called that, is amateurish at best. The concept of an esthetically pleasing arrangement of plants that can be easily maintained seems never to have occurred to anyone associated with Rose. You'd think they would have learned from the Speyer debacle.

"That's been exactly my point too. Only when we have some say around here will things improve!"

Not! You will never have any meaningful input and that was not the point of my comment. This place is in a cost/debt spiral. Feel free to throw your money into that toilet. I won't be throwing mine in...

"Not! You will never have any meaningful input and that was not the point of my comment. This place is in a cost/debt spiral. Feel free to throw your money into that toilet. I won't be throwing mine in..."

First, exactly why wouldn't we have any meaningful input if we own this place?

Second, this cost/debt spiral (as you call it) is based on the prior sales price, we're not going to pay 5.4 billion for the property.

I actually can't WAIT for Saturday's show. It's really incredible to have such talent here.

Go down to the L train platform at Union Square and you will see talent so great you will pee your panties. Actually, that's where most of the "talent" here is recruited from. (I hope it piddles down on Saturday so we who live on the Oval don't have to be forced to listen to that SHYTE!!)

Until There Is Silence No More

The Tenants Association and our councilman Dan Garodnick have mysteriously remained silent about a purported incident that occurred on July 12: the mugging by a group of individuals of someone right by Peter Cooper Village, along 20th Street.

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"We'll be introducing a new process to identify registered dogs thus enabling Public Safety Officers to clearly approach offending dog owners. The registration will hang from the leash handle; clearly identifying the dog as registered.

"If the dog is not registered by May 1; a summons will be issued at the point of contact. If we learn the dog owner is not a resident, they will be escorted off the property."

Rick Hayduk, CEO and General Manager of PCVST. Letter to Barry Shapiro, February 2016.

THINKING of Renting in PCVST?

Read Yelp reviews to find out what it's like living here. Please note: All apartments are currently "rent-stabilized" but that doesn't prevent apartments from going up to 4K to 6K a month and even higher. How does this happen? Ask our politicians! Fact: Now less than half of the complex's apartments have the old rents and it's getting worse year by year--or better if you are the Real Estate Board of New York!

The Other Yelp Reviews

Yelp can be tricky and bounce reviews for a variety of reasons, like being a member and posting just one review. Very often, however, these reviews hold important truths about what's being reviewed. READ THESE TOO.

BICYCLES, MOPEDS, SCOOTERS, ETC.

Of course, "private property" but "public access" - whatever that means! And if a part of it is public access, do the rules of the city apply to our roads and sidewalks? Or does anything give because this complex is "private property"? Who comes here in case of a fire in one of our buildings? The Stuy Town Fire Brigade?

Hint: Look both ways if you are in the complex. Look on the ground, too!

61.03 Control of dogs and other animals to prevent nuisance. (a) A person who owns, possesses or controls a dog, cat or other animal shall not permit the animal to commit a nuisance on a sidewalk of any public place, on a floor, wall, stairway, sidewalk, lawn, garden or roof of any public or private premises used in common by the public, or on a fence, wall [or], stairway or entranceway of a building abutting on a public place

Banned & Oversize Dog Breeds in Stuy Town

Looks like there is some difficulty in enforcing the ban on certain dog breeds allowed inside Stuy Town/Peter Cooper Village. Somehow pitbulls and pitbull mixes have been registered in STPCV and are allowed to be freely walked about the grounds! Registered dogs in the complex are max 50 pounds. Total, if there is more than one! More than two, it's illegal. It's going to get worse, and, face it, Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village will never be like it once was.

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Read it and Weep

Current Value of ST/PCV

Was 5.4 Billion Dollars when Tishman Speyer bought the place.Became 1.7 Billion Dollars when Tishman Speyer left, with their tail between their legs. Of course, tenants now have to make up the loss.

Ex-landlord

Rob Speyer

1947 Stuy Town Plaque Honoring Met Life Chairman F.H. Ecker (Removed in 2002 and never seen again)

"... who with the vision of experience and the energy of youth conceived and brought into being this project, and others like it, that families of moderate means might live in health, comfort and dignity in park-like communities and that a pattern might be set of private enterprise productively devoted to public service."

I am writing on behalf of everyone at Tishman Speyer to express how honored we are to become part of your outstanding community. We are a business with deep roots in New York, a true love of our city and a great respect for the neighborhoods that make it special. We are committed to maintaining the unique character and environment that have made Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town such a wonderful place to live for so long. We look forward to providing you an extraordinary level of service and attentiveness that will be the source of pride and satisfaction for the entire community.

Neighborhood Recommendations

New to Stuy Town/Peter Cooper Village? Here are some basic recommendations.

Best supermarket: Associated on 14th St. between 1st Ave. and Ave A. The cheapest prices, fantastic weekly sales, very affordable lunches; solid, responsive management, but earthy. Some of the young female cashiers have attitude to spare, though. May be too far for Peter Cooper residents.

Best gym: Don't waste your money on the Oval Fitness Gym. Instead go to the earthy but real Asser Levy Recreational Center, right above 23rd St on Asser Levy Place (near the FDR Drive). $75 for a year's membership; seniors are almost free. Contains seasonal indoor and outdoor swimming pools, ping-pong table, two pool tables. Called by some rich people who wouldn't get caught going there "the prison gym," and you know why.

A Stuy Town favorite is Lenz's on 20 St. between the 20 St. Loop. The way New York used to be. Be careful of unwanted "pepper" in your food, however. Lenz's got a B grade rating and was temporarily closed down due to an order from the Health Department. Bruno's on First Avenue is more upscale, with a greater selection of food items (higher-priced, too), but was closed down temporarily by the Health Department. Stuy Town's own cafe was closed, too! And not because of all the dogs that hover and piss outside.

Gracefully has two locations, but we prefer for its size the one on 1st Ave. Prices are high and reflect the new tenants that are currently renting Stuy Town and Peter Cooper apartments. ("Do you have a credit card?") We like Gracefully's lunch specials, which are somewhat affordable.

I priced the CVS on 1st Ave near 14st. The non-aerosol hairspray was 20 cents above CVS' own website price, and one of the highest in NY. (Yes, I have hair.) You can save at least a dollar or more buying at another place. So beware. Look around for a better deal on all your items.

I love warm Quaker Oats in the morning. Gristedes is not the place to get it, nor is Associated, though their price is less. Look around!

Macular Degeneration Support Group

If you are currently diagnosed with Macular Degeneration, the New York Eye & Ear Infirmary is offering a support group for you. Conveniently located next to the Peter Cooper Village Stuyvesant Town apartment complex, our group offers the opportunity to share stories with other members, listen to expert guest speakers, and learn coping strategies to reduce stress. Our group runs on the first Wednesday of every month and we would enjoy seeing you there.
Please contact Baptiste Nicolas, Social Work Assistant at 212-979-4105 for further information and to see if this group is right for you!